We all have those moments in our lives that become turning points, defining the outcome of our future even if we don’t see it at the time.  June 12, 1998 was one of those days for me. That was the day my life changed forever. I have had many such moments over the course of my short time here on this Earth, but that day was one of the few most life-altering, course-changing, paradigm-shifting days I have ever experienced.  

Having only known life in my comfortable suburban Chicago neighborhood with a large yard bordered by woods with a pond, I thought I lived in the country. There was so much for me to learn and my understanding of the purpose for life was yet to come.  That day in June of ‘98 brought a whole new experience to me. It was an unwelcome change from everything I ever knew to the world of the unknown.  

At not quite 13 years old I had no idea what kind of changes moving to Mount Carroll, Illinois would bring.  It was a rough time for me. Like a fish out of water I gasped for air, feeling choked out by my new surroundings and unfamiliar faces.  More than once I vowed to kick the farm soil off my feet and never return if I could help it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would still be here 22 years later married, raising a family, pastoring a local church, and loving it!

“Mount Carroll: Then & Now” is not just a fun hobby or business endeavor, it is very much a story about transformation.  My personal transformation has guided my approach to this book. My heart for this community has changed. My love for the people here has grown.  My goals have been shaped and molded to get me to where I am now. And my story is not the only one. Thousands of people have walked these same streets and passed through these same doorways.  This is the story of life. It’s the story of resilience. It’s the story of hope, even in rural Illinois.

I hope you are blessed as I share my journey in the creation of this book and I invite you to participate in the adventure!

About the image above:

This is truly my first Then & Now image.  Long before the days of selfies and social media sharing, I asked my dad if we could recreate the photo we took on June 12, 1998, the day we closed on our house on Cyclone Ridge Rd. in Mount Carroll (Salem Township).  He agreed and we worked together to create the second image. My sister Heather (right) had moved away by then and my brother Kyle (standing left) and I did the best we could to pose in the same way we had a few years before.  No one had digital cameras back then so he literally held up the print of the previous shot and coached us as he lined up his Canon AE-1 Program 35mm camera to capture the image. We didn’t know how well it would turn out until we had the film developed, of course. (Not bad Dad!) 

We took this second image just days before that fateful day in September 2001.  We would go on to do more work on the house over the next 2 years and I would discover my love for photography using that same 35mm Canon camera shortly after this photo was taken.